Topics and Discussions That Help Clinical Laboratory Managers Improve Their Operations

6 Enablers for Laboratory Integration

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I gave a presentation this year at the Executive War College titled Achieving Maximum Gains in 4th and 5th Generation Multi-Hospital Laboratory Consolidations.  As most of you know, laboratory consolidations were very popular during the 1990s and early 2000s--many integrated delivery systems have saved millions of dollars by intelligent consolidation of certain laboratory tests.

Today, laboratory integration is much easier to accomplish because of the following enablers:

If you find yourself sitting at the consolidation table today, here are some key strategies for consideration:

1. Become the low cost producer.

2. Know that savings from process improvement may far outstrip consolidation savings and lessen the pain considerably.

3. Aim for cost savings in the patient care value stream, not necessarily in the laboratory silo.

4. Provide the right test, at the right time, at the right place, at the right cost—patient centric care.

5. Drive appropriate test utilization and own orders management.

6. In the area of labor, start with benchmarking and optimize with Lean labor planning tools.

7. Be passionate about lowering cost while improving quality.

8. Finally, use marketplace disruptions to fuel a change environment.

If you have had success with additional key strategies, please share them with the blog readership.  As always, your comments are encouraged and your thoughts very much appreciated.